


Merlin Sightings

by PurpleFlyingBird



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur Pendragon Returns, BAMF Merlin, Banter, Battle of Hogwarts AU, Court Sorcerer Merlin, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Hogwarts Era, Identity Reveal, Immortal Merlin, Merlin in a cloak, Merlin with a staff, Morgana vs Merlin, One Shot, POV Alternating, POV Outsider, POV Third Person, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, Post-Magic Reveal, Reveal, Sidhe staff, Wizarding Swear Words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 00:12:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13065099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleFlyingBird/pseuds/PurpleFlyingBird
Summary: Over the past few years, a mysterious man had been sighted all over the place by various witches and wizards. At Hogwarts, in the Forbidden Forest, in the Leaky Cauldron and even weaving through the Muggle streets of London. No one knows his name yet every single witch, wizard and muggle has heard of him. Merlin has been sighted. One-shot!Various characters' encounters with Merlin.





	Merlin Sightings

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Merlin.  
> This story is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net and is the first story I'm publishing on this site.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Over the recent years, many witches and wizards have seen the mysterious man. A man whose shoulders carried a weight far greater than any of them could ever imagine and whose eyes revealed a loneliness that has been present for over a millennium._

_At first they did not know his name, yet his was one that all of wizardkind have known since birth. Whether they had magic or not his name was well known amongst all._

_His name…_

_**Merlin.** _

* * *

**Harry Potter** first saw him during his very first year at Hogwarts. One night, he quietly tip-toed into the room, his invisibility cloak keeping him safely hidden and closed the door as silently as possible behind him. He winced as it creaked at little, fearing that someone had heard, Harry's eyes darted around the moonlit room.

That's when he saw _him_.

Sitting there before the Mirror of Erised, bathed in the silvery moonlight as his shoulders shook. Carefully, Harry crept closer to the young man and once he was within reach, he saw wet trails of tears glistening like a river of diamonds down the man's cheeks. He watched awkwardly, unsure of what to do, as the young man lifted a hand and longingly trailed his fingers across the reflective surface.

What did this man see to cause such an emotional reaction? Harry could only guess that whoever this man can see in this mirror was someone who was no longer alive. For he feels the same way as this man when his eyes fall upon the sight of his deceased parents, standing beside him with eyes full of love.

Through the choking sobs, the young man leaned forward until his forehead rested against the mirror's surface, his hands on either side of his head as his fingers curled.

"Arthur…"

The name was whispered so softly and brokenly, Harry could feel his own heart ache from the mere sound of it.

* * *

**Sirius Black** was the only one who had encountered the man, not as a wizard, but in his animagus form as a large black dog. In one of his many expeditions in Hogsmeade, Sirius found the man sitting on a bench with a far-away look in his eyes. It wouldn't hurt to cheer him up a little, would it?

So, Sirius (A.K.A Padfoot) padded through the snow to sit before the man's feet. He barked once and successfully gained the young man's attention.

"Hello there, aren't you friendly?" the man spoke gently, reaching down to scratch behind Sirius' ears. "What are you doing out here all alone? Aren't your owners worried about you?" Sirius shook his head in reply before remembering at the last second he was supposed to be a dog and turned it into a more dog-like body shake to rid the excess snow instead. Sirius tilted his head to one side and the man smiled sadly at him.

"Oh me? I'm waiting for a friend," The man's voice turned wistful, "he was my best friend…" Seeing the look on Sirius' face, the man chuckled. "You want to know what he was like, don't you boy?" Sirius barked, his tail wagging excitedly behind him.

The young man leaned back, a reminiscent smile on his face. "He was a prat, a Royal Prat. An arrogant clotpole who made me muck out his stables, polish his armour, clean his chambers and that's not all that he made me do!" _Polish armour? Did this man's friend collect armour for a hobby or something?_ Sirius thought.

His fingers ran through Sirius' soft fur soothingly as he spoke.

"…but he was a good man too. Brave, just and caring… he always thought about his people," was that a hint of pride in his voice that Sirius could hear? "He was the best King the world had ever known and I was honoured to be his manservant," _King?! Manservant?!_ Sirius _nearly_ missed the man's next words, he was too preoccupied with what he had just heard, "…everything that I did was for him and Camelot…"

 _Camelot?! As in the Arthurian legends?!_ Sirius was so shocked that his jaw dropped almost comically.

"Am I boring you?" Mistaking Sirius' actions as a yawn he asked, a concerned expression on his face, "Sorry…it's just that it's been so long since I've told anyone about it. Not that I can tell anyone about it anyway, no-one would believe me."

It was then the man exclaimed his next words as though it was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard, "I mean, they all think that Merlin has a beard!"

Kneeling down, the man wrapped his arms around Siruis' dog form, burying his face in the soft black fur. His voice was muffled a little as he spoke, "Thank you for keeping me company, I needed that," two hands ruffled the fur around the scruff of his neck fondly as the man pulled away. Being unable to talk in his animagus form, Sirius returned it by licking the man's retreating hands affectionately.

"Take care," With a flashed of golden eyes, a whirlwind whipped up and enveloped the kind man.

Sirius blinked.

The space where the man had once occupied was now empty except for a large packet of bacon that had been conveniently opened so that a dog could eat out of it. Said dog's mouth stretched into a grin.

* * *

**Draco Malfoy** once saw him in Borgin and Burkes, browsing like any other customer in a creepy shop. What made him catch Draco's eye was how out of place the man looked in a shop such as this. The man looked no younger than twenty, with soft gentle blue eyes that almost shone with a kindness that was rarely seen in such a notorious area. That and he was wearing a ridiculously bright red neckerchief that stood out like a lit wand in the gloomy room despite the expensive cloak that shrouded him.

Peeking out of the corner of his eyes, Draco discreetly watched the man who was currently eyeing a hexagonal box. The man's eyes gleamed with mirth and the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile as though sharing an inside joke with himself, before moving off to gaze disinterestedly at the other items.

When the man stopped for the second time, it was before a silver bracelet adorned with an amber-like gem. A scowl formed and the man's blue eyes darkened like a choppy sea in a raging storm. He reached out a hand hesitantly so that it hovered above the bracelet. For a moment, Draco wondered if the man would buy the item but his thoughts were proven otherwise when the man shook his head almost woefully and left the shop, the doorbell chiming to signal his departure.

Once the man had left his sight, Draco approached the bracelet, curious as to what the man was looking at.

 _Phoenix Eye_ _Bracelet_ – _Do NOT touch! Consumes the life force of anyone who comes in contact with it._

Why would such a kind-looking man need such a dark artefact? Draco asked himself as his thoughts wondered to the stranger.

* * *

**Hagrid** met the man when he least expected it. It was a beautiful summer's day with not a single cloud to dampen the mood. A cool, yet welcome, breeze rustled the trees of the Forbidden Forest as Hagrid fed the hungry herd of Hippogriffs. On his way back to his hut, he stumbled across a clearing he with the most beautiful magical creature his eyes had ever seen.

A large dragon with scales as white as freshly lain snow, glinting like ice crystals in the Sun's afternoon rays.

The dragon shifted its great wings in its peaceful slumber, releasing a smoky sigh through its nostrils. Hagrid found himself releasing his breath with it, which he didn't realise he was holding.

That was when he noticed the dragon had company.

A young man, eyes closed and a serene expression adorning his handsome face.

It was a sight one wouldn't normally see, even in the wizarding world because how can a wizard sleep so soundly beside a known wizard-killer? To Hagrid, however, this was proof that even dangerous dragons, his favourite magical creature, can befriend a wizard. He beamed at the thought.

One day, he would too. For now, even someone such as Hagrid was wise enough not to disturb a sleeping dragon.

* * *

**Luna Lovegood** always spoke about the many creatures she knew, yet anyone who would stay and listen often found themselves thoroughly confused or disturbed by the eccentric Ravenclaw. For many were unable to see the (possibly imaginary) creatures as Luna does. It was during a free period that Luna had spent wandering the corridors of Hogwarts in search of the rare Snigglefiggle, when she met him.

He was standing there looking out of the windows at the view of the castle's grounds with a distant look on his face. The man, who was young only in appearance, was surrounded by a swarm of Wrinkly-winged tinklers. It was the largest swarm of them she had ever seen!

As she drifted closer towards him, Luna gasped as she felt the thrumming of an ancient magic pulse beneath the dark-haired man's skin and she instantly knew who he was. When she was very young, her mother sometimes spoke about Old Magic and a powerful Warlock who wielded it.

"You're Emrys," Luna stated. The man flinched and turned to face her with wide blue eyes.

"How do you know?" He sounded very surprised.

"Your magic…it's Old Magic. When I was little, my mother often talked about Emrys," she replied with an airy tone.

"I…see…"

"There's a huge swarm of Wrinkly-winged tinklers around you. They must really like you."

"W-what?" He stuttered, confusion written clearly on his face.

"Oh! You haven't heard of them? Daddy says no-one can avoid them because the older you get the more they flock to you," she fixed him with an X-ray-like stare that caused the man to fidget nervously. "You must be a lot older than you look," the man paled.

"H-h-huh? _What_?! No! They…uh…they only like me because…" he stammered and began to cast his eyes around as if looking for an excuse, "…uh…um…because I…because I read a lot of books! You know how wise old people are, with all that knowledge and such, it's only natural for them to swarm around someone like me," she smiled at him and he sighed in relief.

His tired eyes soon wandered back to the breath-taking view on the other side of the glass, his expression transforming into a melancholic one. "He misses you too, you know. Your other half."

The man's startled eyes flicked back to the spot beside him and quickly discovered the student who had spoken to him was no longer there. Looking up, he rapidly scanned the area until he spotted her skipping down the corridor, radish earrings swaying with each bounce before she disappeared around the corner.

 _Time to find that Snigglefiggle_ , Luna thought.

* * *

**Hermione Granger** , Gryffindor's local bookworm, was searching the familiar shelves of Hogwarts' Library for a particular book to help her with her studying, when she peeked between the tomes and was startled by what she saw.

An unfamiliar young man, who was certainly no student nor professor, casually leaning against an aisle as he flicked through a thick dusty book in his hands. The man's eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance as his blue eyes scanned the pages, before disappearing beneath his hair when they shot upwards. Occasionally, the man's eyes narrowed into a dark glare that would have burned a hole in the book's pages had the man used magic.

"…Like all the others…so many incorrect facts…that's not right…no…that never happened…ridiculous…pfft! Arthur would cry if he saw that…that was Gwen…huh...Lancelot…he didn't do that willingly…always wrong…" Hermione only caught small parts of what he said because he was muttering under his breath.

"No, Arthur was definitely not younger than me! Why do they always get that wrong?" He huffed, then started muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Wizards these days, hah! Think they know it all…they don't know anything about who he really was…that Prat…"

"If they knew…what would they all think?" The man mused, a thoughtful expression on his face. Hermione watched from her hiding place, curious to hear what he would say next. "Probably something like… _MERLIN'S BEARD!_ "

Hermione jumped a few feet in the air at the sudden exclamation.

"Shhhhh! She'll hear you!" A third-year Hufflepuff shushed from where he was passing the aisles.

"This is a library, young man! I won't tolerate any swearing! I'll give you this one chance, if I hear another peep out of you you'll be thrown out of here faster than you can say 'Merlin'!" scolded the librarian, Madam Pince, before she stalked off back to her desk.

Once she was out of ear-shot, the man continued, smirking to himself.

"Merlin's beard? I think it should be _Merlin's red neckerchief!_ " He mock-gasped after that quieter shout and chuckled, amused, as he stroked a blue fabric around his neck that clashed with his red shirt. "After all, what would they know about it?" The man returned the book to its place on the bookshelf, gave it tiny pat on the spine before nonchalantly strolling out of the library as if he lived here.

Try as she might, Hermione couldn't squash the urge to go and look at the book the man was commenting on. It didn't take her long to find it, (she was paying attention you know) and plucked the book away from the shelf.

 _**Arthurian Legends:** _ _All You Need to Know About Camelot's Legendary Figures_

What was this man doing criticizing Arthurian legends? It sounded as if he was claiming he knew the actual facts, but how would someone young like him know what really happened? No one would. The guy must have been doing it for kicks, Hermione had seen enough students bored out of their minds do it themselves to recognise it when she saw it. That was the only reasonable explanation…

 _Merlin's red neckerchief_. Where on Earth did he hear that one? Hermione scoffed, that was the most bizarre Merlin swear she had ever heard and that's saying something considering she is best friends with Ron Weasley.

* * *

**Severus Snape** encountered the strange man one day in the Leaky Cauldron. He had gone there to spend the day drowning his sorrows in Firewhisky for that day marked the day of her death…

 _Lily…_ Severus sighed. Usually, he would spend it mourning in his private quarters at Hogwarts where he was out of sight. Today, he felt the need for several cups of the strongest alcoholic beverages to ease his pain.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice a man sit down in the seat across from him.

"Tough day?" An unfamiliar voice asked, tearing him out of his spiralling memories. Severus lifted his head to sneer at the young man across from him, but the moment their eyes met a look of understanding flickered in the man's blue eyes. "I see…me too. I understand," The man sighed.

"What would you know about my life? We just met," Severus snapped, irritated at the seemingly unexperienced youth before him. _What would he know of war and death?_

"I've lost many people who I cared about, just like you. In battles and wars…from old age and illnesses…magic and swords…the list goes on," the man smiled at him sadly. "I understand…what it's like to lose someone you love," Severus didn't need any Veritaserum to know that this man was telling him the truth.

A silence fell between them, not uncomfortably, as they remembered memories of their loved ones from times long gone.

"Merlin's beard! Is that the time already? I'm going to be late!" A middle-aged wizard yelped from the table beside them. It didn't escape the Professor's notice when the man across from him started, eyes wide as they darted to the wizard who swore, a hand flying to touch his clean-shaven chin.

Looking around more calmly, an amused smile twitched the man's lips upwards.

' _Gwaine would have loved to add this place to his list of taverns…'_ the thought wasn't his own and Severus realised that the man must have accidentally dropped his mental shields. He was, after all, an expert at Legilimency as well, such an error would have gone unnoticed by anyone who wasn't efficient in such arts. Curious, Severus probed the man's mind but found the Occlumency shields were once again in place. This man's mind was protected with the strongest shields he had ever seen.

 _What sort of secrets does the man have to hide?_ Severus thought, eyes narrowing as he watched the laid-back man across from him.

"Merlin's pants! I can't believe I nearly forgot my wand!" A witch nearby exclaimed. The man flinched, eyes darting downwards before flickering up to meet Severus' own. A goofy smile quickly masked the young man's blunder. Severus raised an eyebrow in response.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, shut up!" Exclaimed someone from one of the corners of the tavern, predictably the man opposite him flinched in response.

"For the love of Merlin, be quiet you two," hissed a mother to a pair of Hogwarts first year students. Severus was pleased to notice that the misbehaving kids were Gryffindors. He flinched again.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Then _again_.

"Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts!" The man winced and swivelled around in his chair to glare heatedly at the poor wizard who had allowed those words to leave his tongue.

"Merlin's saggy left-" Severus recognised the red-headed Weasley who had begun the rather rude sentence.

"- _RONALD!_ " Mrs. Weasley had cut him off before he could finish it, but the damage had already been done. The man's cheeks flushed red, the colour spreading all the way to the tips of his somewhat prominent ears as his eyes widened to the size of saucers in mortification. He spluttered profusely before excusing himself and making a mad dash for the door, tripping over Ron's chair leg and crashing into the back of Mad-Eye Moody as he escaped from the Leaky Cauldron.

_This man…was he extremely sensitive to swearing?_

Despite what the man had claimed about being more experienced than he looked, he must have had a much more sheltered life than he had said to have such an adverse reaction to swearing.

* * *

**Albus Dumbledore** , unlike the others, was the only wizard who had seen him before and the only one of this time who knew who he was. It started off like any other day at Hogwarts, but it was what had happened at the end of it which had made it so unique. Headmaster Dumbledore was in his office sucking on Lemon Drops while he signed some paperwork when it had happened.

A small wind was born in the middle of the room and Dumbledore lifted his twinkling eyes to peer over his half-moon glasses to check if the windows were indeed still closed. They were. Gradually, the wind grew until the papers on his desk fluttered into the air and away from their piles. Once it had finally settled, a young man stood in the centre of the room.

The man wore a teal blue cloak made from an expensive material, the hems were lined with silver thread that glinted likes stars in the moonlight. It was fastened with what looked like a silver Merlin bird for a clasp. Tied comfortably around his neck was a worn red (Pendragon red) neckerchief. His thin frame was donned in a blue tunic and black pants of fine quality, he carried a Sidhe staff that held a softly glowing blue crystal in one of his hands.

It wasn't his appearance, nor was it the powerful magic that rolled of the man in waves that had caught the Headmaster's attention. It was the man's eyes. At first it was the way they radiated a golden glow, but once the magical light had faded in them, Dumbledore couldn't look away.

This man's eyes spoke of an age far greater than his own. Those pools of blue swirled with tales worth a millennium of experiences. They showed a loneliness and pain far worse than anyone would ever know. Although youthful in appearance, this man seemed far older than even the castle they stood in.

" _What brings you to Hogwarts? I'm the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore and you are?"_

" _Dumbledore, yes I know you. They call me Emrys._ _I was once the Court Warlock before things changed," Emrys smiled cheerfully and shook Dumbledore's wrinkled hands._

It had been many years since then and Dumbledore soon discovered the man's true identity.

"Merlin! It's a pleasure to see you again, old friend," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily at the sight of the seemingly-young-but-incredibly-ancient Warlock.

"Albus," Merlin replied, his signature smile on his face as he nodded in greeting, "there is a war on the horizon, so I thought the wards might need checking up on,"

"Very well, take your time. Would you like a Lemon Drop?" He offered, holding out the bowl of yellow treats.

"Why not?" Merlin Emrys shrugged, plucking the offered candy out of the bowl and smiling his thanks.

The castle of Hogwarts sung joyfully as its walls were once again awash with the legendary Warlock's magic. It never felt more alive in recent years than it did then. Sleeping students sighed as the soothing magic tucked them in, Mrs. Norris purred, the ghosts and Peeves were feeling more at peace.

Dumbledore's beard twitched as a smile tugged his lips upwards, glad to be able to witness such wondrous magic.

* * *

It was the start of a new year and the students of Hogwarts were seated in the Great Hall enjoying the feast. Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Slytherins welcomed the newly sorted first years as they chattered cheerfully amongst each other while they ate.

One of the main topics talked about in the Great Hall was the enigmatic young man who was invited as a guest by Dumbledore to participate in the feast. He sat with the professors on the teacher's table, a lop-sided smile on his face as he spoke animatedly to the other adults.

_Who was he?_

_Where did he come from?_

_What was he doing here? (_ Which from a few students it had been accompanied by a shout of: " _I remember him! I've met him before!")_

_Was he going to teach them something this year? Or was he just staying for one night?_

_Was he single?_ (A topic popular among the female students whenever there was a new hot male professor.)

_Wow! Look at that staff! Where's his wand?_

_What's his name?_

Outside, the rain ruthlessly pelted the window panes creating a rhythmic drumming. Halfway through the meal, the doors to the Great Hall swung open with a loud _bang_ ; standing there soaked from the rain was a male figure.

He wore medieval chainmail, with water dribbling off the shiny metal in an almost constant stream. Around his shoulders there was a drenched red cap that bore an embroidered gold dragon for a crest on his left. At his hip, the students noted a sheathed sword. The blonde-haired man scanned the sea of students as if in search for someone, his blue eyes expressing confusion and distress. Then he stopped, his eyes locked onto someone, the person he was searching for. They all followed his line of sight to see who had caught the stranger's attention.

It was their new "guest".

The young dark-haired man returned the gaze with wide-eyes full of surprise, disbelief and pure joy.

"Merlin!" The blonde man called, a bright charming smile on his face. Around them, their audience were confused by this man's choice of words.

"A-Arthur! Y-you're back?!" Their guest stuttered, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Of course I am, you idiot," 'Arthur' replied, gesturing to himself and his overly-waterlogged clothes, "you've been waiting long enough, _Mer_ lin," he said emphasising the first syllable of the most famous name in the wizarding world.

Students and professors alike gasped audibly. _That man was_ _The_ _Merlin?! Impossible!_

Arthur continued as though he hadn't heard them, a smirk gracing his lips as he spoke "I've made a whole list of chores that need to be done, you've gotten lazier since you left Camelot,"

 _Did he say Camelot?!_ The Great Hall was buzzing with whispers from the gossiping audience.

Across the Hall, the now named 'Merlin' stood up shakily from his feet and leaned heavily on his staff as he slowly made his way towards Arthur. His eyes only focused on the one man, his best friend, who he had only dreamed of seeing alive once again.

There was the sound of a staff clattering on the stone floor as the Warlock dropped it in favour of sprinting the rest of the way. Merlin collided with Arthur and the two of them wrapped their arms around each other in a fierce, long awaited hug. At long last, King and Manservant; best friends and brothers in all but blood; the Once-And-Future King and Emrys; Arthur and Merlin were finally re-united.

Merlin sniffled and barely suppressed a sob as his tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Arthur's own cheeks were equally wet, though he would deny it later to anyone who dared to ask, as they held each other for what felt like hours to them but was most likely only a couple of minutes. Merlin released a watery laugh and muttered into Arthur's ear, " _Dollophead_ , you're the one who made me wait…"

"And now you're going to get back to work, _Clotpole_ ," Arthur replied as they parted.

"Hey! That's _my_ word!" Merlin yelled indignantly, waving his arms about.

"Yeah and it suits you perfectly," Arthur countered, quoting his words from a time long passed, "have you seen the state of this armour? It's going to fall apart from rust at this rate!"

" _Prat_ ," Merlin retorted, a fond smile present on his face, "You only just got back and you're already ordering me around."

" _Idiot_. I'm the King, therefore you should do what I say," Arthur ordered his tone arrogant yet wearing a relaxed smile.

"Since when have I ever listened to you, _Sire_?" Merlin answered sarcastically, adding a mocking bow for extra effect. When he straightened his back there was a brief moment of silence as they exchanged knowing looks before bursting into laughter, much to the crowd's confusion.

"It's good to see you again, Merlin," the King's eyes stared deeply into Merlin's own, a warm smile on his face showing him the true extent to which he had missed the Warlock without having to say much more. After all, Merlin wasn't the only one who had longed to see his other half of the coin. "I've missed having someone do all my chores. Manservants like you are hard to come by, especially when you're in Avalon."

 _Manservant?! Merlin was a manservant?!_ The gathered witches and wizards couldn't believe their ears.

Said manservant raised an eyebrow in a manner reminiscent of Gaius as he asked: "They have _servants_ in _Avalon_?"

"Yes _Mer_ lin, where else would they go? You remember George, right?" Merlin's eyes widened as he recalled memories of his temporary replacement, involuntarily shuddering when he thought about the _lessons_ (read as verbal torture) he had to take as punishment by the _dullest_ overly-competent servant in the entire kingdom of Camelot (and apparently in Avalon as well).

"You mean he was…?"

Arthur nodded gravely. "Yes, well…let's just say it wasn't the most fun of times I've had in the afterlife," he continued, "even if you were the worst servant in the five kingdoms, at least you don't make jokes about _brass._ "

Merlin grimaced. "He still makes jokes about _brass_?"

"Yes," Arthur nodded, "He's got all the time in his afterlife to improve and then he goes and makes a _joke_ about _wood_ too," Merlin's eyebrows shot upwards at the comment. Arthur chuckled.

"If they have servants in Avalon what about…Court Warlocks?" Merlin tentatively questioned, Arthur's expression softened further when he heard the Warlock's worried tone.

"No, I never opened that position in Avalon. I already have a Court Warlock so it has already been filled."

"Who? Me?" Merlin asked, eyes wide.

"All these years and you're still an idiot! Who else _Mer_ lin? By _Gwaine_?!" Arthur replied, exasperated. The moment he mentioned the knight's name, certain images were brought to the pair's minds as they imagined a drunk Gwaine as a Court Sorcerer. Gwaine would make it "his duty as a Court Sorcerer" to turn all the water in Camelot into mead. They exchanged glances, knowing they were thinking the same thing and laughed loudly.

Arthur placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder and they smiled widely at each other, glad to be in one another's presence once again. His hand moved into Merlin's dark hair and ruffled it with brotherly affection. "Let's go, Merlin. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Of course, Arthur. Would you like to know about the time when…"

"Merlin."

"…then Godric Gryffindor whipped out his wand and…" the Warlock prattles on.

" _Mer_ lin."

"…so a Hippogriff swoops in and he climbs on it. Oh, wait! You don't know what they are, do you? Well, they're half horse and half-"

" _Merlin!_ "

"OW!" Yelped Merlin as he rubbed the back of his head where his King had swatted him, "What was that for, you Prat?!"

"Can't it wait until we got back to my chambers?" Hissed the blonde-haired King, jerking his chin in the direction of the Hogwarts students watching them with slack-jaws and wide eyes. The King's Court Warlock and manservant followed his gaze to rest upon their gob-smacked audience.

"Oh. _Oh…_ I'm sorry?" Merlin apologised sheepishly, running a hand through his soft hair.

"Come on, let's go…old friend," Arthur said as he wrapped an arm around his servant's shoulders and steered him out of the Great Hall, Merlin's goofy smile widened further at his words as they left the room side-by-side.

* * *

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been transformed into a battlefield. Morgana had returned to the world of the living thanks to Voldemort, her power rivalling the Dark Lord's, though many were sure she was even stronger. Everyone was losing hope, they didn't have the magical power to defeat Voldemort, let alone the infamous Morgana from the Arthurian legends.

They were convinced they wouldn't make it to see the sunrise.

Even if their only hope of defeating Voldemort, Harry Potter, can win his fight against the powerful dark wizard, who would fight Morgana? They were fighting a losing battle and everyone was aware of it.

Eyes blazing with hatred, Morgana lifted her arms, gathering a massive amount of magical power for an attack that would surely finishing them all. A colossal fireball, like a replica of the Sun itself, of churning flames loomed threateningly above the war zone in preparation to swallow them: Death Eaters, students, Voldemort, Harry and all.

The fiery collision of Hell never came.

As the flames sizzled and sputtered as they dissipated, two figures were revealed. One was dressed in metallic chainmail and armour that glinted in the flame's warm glow. He carried a masterfully-crafted sword that shone with an ancient beauty. There, just a step behind him, was a familiar cloaked man whose eyes were gleaming with a golden glow. His staff, topped with a blue crystal, was raised in the air as the man with the sword let loose a battle cry.

_CLONK!_

With a single tap of the staff, the sky above swirled with darkening thunderclouds. Lightning flashed and the roar of thunder met their ears moments later. The air around the man hummed with a magic so powerful and ancient that not even Dumbledore could hold a candle to him.

The ensuing battle was like none wizardkind had ever seen nor experienced as the two men, brothers in all but blood, fought side-by-side and back-to-back. Morgana was defeated at the hands of the legendary duo:

Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys.

Once the war was over, the pair of best friends were sometimes sighted by witches and wizards. In Diagon Alley, at the Leaky Cauldron, in the Forbidden Forest, around Hogwarts and sometimes weaving through the crowds in a Muggle city. Always together, never alone, enjoying each other's company as they had done once long ago.

Merlin had never looked so happy than he did now.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! If you want, please let me know what you think of it. :)
> 
> In this universe I've made few small changes to the canon of Merlin, concerning the sad event in the last episode (I'm not mentioning any details in case you haven't seen it, but you all know what I mean). These are mainly having Merlin as a Court Warlock as well as a being a manservant, the event doesn't happen when it does in the canon and Arthur brings about the Golden Age and later Mordred succeeds in his destiny in a much later battle instead. Or whatever floats your boat because I've left it up to your imagination, but that's my idea and what it is based on.
> 
> I mainly just written this as an excuse to write Merlin with a cloak and his Sidhe staff, I just love the image it creates! Don't you? So that's what inspired me to write this one...Merlin in a cloak. ;)


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